Reimagining the concept of »urban nature«: Ecological restoration through a new process of urbanizationPolitical Ecology & Urban Design

The 2016 United Nations (UN) Habitat III Conference recently declared urbanization as »one of the 21st century’s most transformative trends«. The current condition of “planetary urbanization” unequivocally reveals a multi-faceted ecological crisis in the form of climate change, soil degradation, deforestation and widespread loss of »wilderness« and accordingly habitat loss and extensive declines in wildlife populations.

NATURE IS US – A NEW PROCESS

A departure from the current mode of urbanization (with the aforementioned issues in mind) leads to a new process; one which seeks to stimulate an ecological recovery (both in urban and rural areas) and embody the right to the city. The human-centered design perspective is extended by giving nature an equal voice in the democratic urban process. Nature is not understood as a “disinterested third party”; nature is ‘us’ and is thus reinstituted into the politics of city design, governance and the production of urban space. Guided by a set of principles, and the reinstitution of nature by lending it a voice, a snapshot design of ‘how a city could look and feel like’ is presented. The design of a prototype gives a concrete vision that forms a basis of discussion.

Urbanization will inevitably have an enormous impact in the twenty-first century; however, the ways in which we define, construct and carry-out the process of urbanization, are entirely open. The process of urbanization that we collectively choose can be reframed. By presenting a reimagined vision of ‘urban nature’ we aim to foster discussion, debate and a fundamental re-thinking of what cities are, and what they could be. Our process and prototype show that a new kind of city is possible — already today.
For more information on the voices speaking for nature, the design process and the interdisciplinary nature of the team, please visit: www.urwi.space For the conference presentation and paper, please get in touch.with me. We would happy to send it to you.

Diving into the Actor-Network Theory by Latour inspired me on how to rethinking current design processes. I lead the design process, introduced methods and vizualised ideas. I was co-author and co-presenter.